Free-standing roof structures



Feb.17,1959 E. J. .ARTMAN-f Em 2,873,698

- FREE-STANDVING ROOF STRUCTURES Filed Jan. 24. 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS FIG 8 EDWARD J. HARTMAN JOHN N. JANES ATTORNEY Feb'. 17, 1959 E. J. HARTMAN ET AL 2,873,698

FREE-STANDING Roo? STRUCTURES Filed Jan. 24. 195e 2 sheets-sheet 2 c- F|G.2

20( 20 a, 01aI etc.)

INVENTORS EDWARD .HARTMAN 1 JOHN N. JANEs ATTORNEY van United States FREE-STANDING RF STRUCTURES Edward J. Hartman and John N. Janes, Houston, Tex.,

assignors to Childers Manufacturing Company, Houston, Tex., a corporation of Texas lApplication January 24, 1956, Serial No. 560,929

Z Claims. (Cl. 108-1) This invention relates to free-standing roof structures, and more particularly to improvements in Carports as the term is herein employed broadly to include not only protective canopies for domestic use, i. e. open-sided covers for home-parked automobiles and for patios, childrens play areas and the like, but also for business uses, i. e. pedestrian and automobile type canopies for store andv theatre entrances, and for service stations and the like. n

A principal object of the invention is the provision of a so-called carport capable of serving in effective manner the numerous uses as aforesaid, and which is characterized also by an attractive appearance and a design which blends in with practically all types of architecture.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a carport characterized by-an attractive appearance while at the same time being designed and constructed for strength and long, maintenance-free life.

Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a carport construction characterized by a roof frame which, in addition to functioning as such, also serves as a drain gutter.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a carport whose design is such as enables it vto be prefabricated complete at the factory, shipped as a packaged unit, and assembled on location by the purchaser relatively quickly and without the requirement for skilled labor.

The above and other objects and features of advantage of a carport according to the invention will appear from the following detailed description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred construction and design thereof, wherein- Fig.' l is a perspective view illustrating a carport of the invention set upand in use as a free-standing protective canopy or shelter for a home-parked automobile;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged broken-away section taken along a front-to-rear line designated 2-2 of the carport illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is abroken-away plan view looking down on to the right front and rear corners of the roof frame of the carport shown in Fig. l, with the roof sheets removed;

Fig. 4 is a broken-away detail perspective view looking into the left front corner of the roof frame, also with the roof sheets removed;

Fig. 5 is a detail view illustrating a preferred manner of splicing the sections of the front and rear fasciae of the roof frame; and

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are end views illustrating more or less diagrammatically the order of assembly and erection of a carport according to the invention.

Referring to the drawings, a carport according to the invention in general comprises a rectangular roof frame, a plurality of roof sheets disposed in side-by-side relation and extending from front to rear of said frame, and

a plurality of supporting columns or pilasters for supporting the roof frame and thereby the roof structure as a whole in free-standing relation, i. e. raised from the .groundA at a proper level and detached from any other for related structure.

'iV-ice the final structure, they will hereinafter be referred to as fascia (plural fasciae) in accordance with the architectural termapplied to building members serving this function.

Referring to Fig. 2, the front and rear fasciae 10, 11 each has modied G section defining a relatively deep channel. That is to say, the outer wall or leg a of the front fascia has greater vertical height than the inner Wall b, and it carries along its upper edge, a rearwardly directed horizontal cap or cover an'ge c, from which depends a short-length vertical flange e. At its upper end, the inner Wall b terminates in an inwardly directed, substantially horizontal flange f which, as will be hereinafter explained, constitutes ledge means providing support for the front ends of the roof sheets. It will be observed that the ange or ledge f is spaced an appreciable distance below the aforesaid depending vertical flange e thereby providing a side opening to the channel thereof which extends horizontally along the rear (inner) side of the front fascia for the ready insertion of the roof sheets.

The rear fascia 11 has cross-section with is identical with that of the front fascia, except that its shorter inner wall b has lesser vertical height than that of the corresponding shorter wall b f said front fascia, thereby to dispose its ledge-forming flange f at a lesser elevation than the ledge-forming flange f of the front fascia 10. Also, the rear fascia 11 is reversed with respect to the front fascia 10 so that the longitudinal side opening between its depending vertical flange e and said ledge-forming flange f faces forwardly or toward the corresponding opening of the front fascia, being thus positioned to receive the rear ends of the roof sheets.

As best seen in Fig. 4, preferably the end fasciae 12, 13 each has simple C section (corresponding to that of the front and rear fasciae devoid of their inner walls b and b', respectively). That is to say, each end fascia has an outer wall a provided with a top ange c" and its depending vertical flange e and with a bottom wall. or flange h, all corresponding, for example, to the similar walls and flanges a, c, e and h of the front fascia 10.

Preferably, the outer Walls a, a', a" of all fasciae are provided with outwardly directed V-ribs g which not only provide reinforcement therefor vbut also give to the assembled fascia the effect of an ornamental border or molding.

As indicated in Fig. 5, at least the front and rear fasciae may have sectional construction, being fabricated to lengths of, say, ten feet, so that two sections must be joined end-to-end to make up a twenty-foot length. For this purpose, splice members 18 are provided, such preferably having cross-section complemental to that of the internal contouring of the fascia, thereby to have tele'- scoping lit thereinz Thus, the meeting ends of two fascia sections may be spliced by telescoping them over a splice member 18 and thereupon bolting said ends to said splice member, such resulting in an effective joint between the fascia sections.

The aforesaid cross beams 15, 16 preferably have box sections, and the side walls -of each may be extended outwardly at their ends to form attaching ears 15a, 15b which are adapted to lie flush against the inner Walls bj b of the front and rear fascia, respectively, and secured thereto as by stove bolts as illustrated.

The above referred to roof sheets are designated 20, 2da, 201), etc. and Vare preferably of `deep-grooved or ribbed construction as generally indicated in Fig. l. To simplify packaging and assembly, said sheets are made up to unit widths which, in the case of the twenty-foot length carport, may be two feet plus, the excess providing for the `sheets being lapped along meeting side edges.

By reference to Fig. 2 it will be noted that the roof sheets have greater length than the spacing between the aforesaid fascia flanges or ledges j, so that, when the ends of the sheet are inserted into the spaces above said ledges, they rest firmly and squarely on .the latter. Following assembly of the roof-sheets on said ledges f, f', they are preferably secured thereto :as by sheet metal screws (S/ M screws) 22 (Fig. 2) threaded through sheet ends and ledges on one-foot centers.

It will also be observed from Fig. 2that, consequent to the lower elevation of the ledge means f of the rear fascia 11, the roof sheets are inclined downwardly-rearwardly. rIhus the roof sheets drain into rthe channel of the rear fascia 11, which latter serves as agutter. Although .not shown, the bottom wall h' of the rear fascia may be ,provided along its lengthor at a selected end with a drain opening, and a down spout may be Vsecured to the fascia in position to communicate therewith, thus to take oi' the water draining into the rear fascia. It will also be observed that the top or cap lflange c of the front fascia it), together with its depending vertical flange e, functions in large measure to prevent any accumulation of rain water in the channel of said front fascia. However, should weather conditions warrant same, the bottom wall h of said front fascia may be apertured to drain off any accumulation of water therein.

A roof structure as aforesaid is adapted to be set up Land supported as a free-standing canopy or cover by means of spaced Vpairs of vertical supporting columns or pilasters designated 24a, Zeb and 26:1-, 26b. Preferably, the pilasters have modern design illustrated in Fig. l, being constructed from three round steel bars 30 secured and welded together in manner as to form an inverted tripod, with intermediate lacing provided by rods ,32 arranged as illustrated. Preferably, the pilaster-forming bars at the upper or base end of their triangular structure are provided with attaching flanges which enable the pilasters each to be secured to both a fascia and a cross beam, `as by connecting two of the bars Si! of a pilastei Lto the fascia and the third bar to a cross beam, said latter bar `thus acting as an inclined brace.

As forecast above, a carport according to the invention is adapted to be prefabricated complete at the factory and shipped disassembled as a packaged unit capable of being readily assembled on location by the purchaser without the aid of Iskilled labor. To satisfy this `desirable objective, the end fasciae and the front and rear fascia sections are preferably formed to lengths of, say7 ten feet, with the cross beams 15, 16 being pre-cut to exactly fit the space between the front and rear fascine upon setting up of the latter. The pilasters 24a-2Gb are also prefabricated complete at the factory, as are the roong sheets 20. All of the components as above, including the necesary hardware such as corner brackets 14, stove bolts, etc., are packaged preferably in a single package which also contains the necessary assembly instructions.

To assemble a carport of the invention, the roof frame is laid out on the ground, bottom side up, the components therefor being quickly and easily bolted together. Thereupon, either the front or rear pilasters (not both) are attached to the corresponding front or rear fasciae, as generally indicated in Fig. 6. Thereupon, the structure in this stage of assembly is turned from .the side to which the pilasters were secured, i. e. in the direction of the arrows (Fig. 6), it being understood that the frame is rst located so that the -feet of the pilasters will move into footing holes provided therefor when the structure is turned to its Fig. 7 position. The low or ground supported side of the structure is now raised and the final set of pilasters placed thereunder and secured in place, the feet of the latter also now extending into footing holes provided therefor. After proper leveling of the frame, footings are placed as by pouring concrete into the aforesaid footing holes.

The final assembly step is to lay and secure the roof sheets 20, 20a, 2Gb, etc. in place. This may be simply achieved by inserting the ends of a rst roof sheet into the fascia openings provided therefor so that said 'sheet is supported on said .ledges f, f' and moving it sidewise until its one side edge abuts the inside surface of the outer wall a of an end fascia, and thereupon laying the other sheets in turn so that each edge laps 'the precedinglaid sheet. Finally, the Vroof sheets are ysecured in position by S/M screws which, as indicated inFig. 2, pass through their ends and thread into the vfascia ledges f, f.

When finally assembled, the structure aforesaid provides a free-standing carport or canopy of exceptional strength and rigidity. By lfashioning the roof framing parts from ycold-formed heavy-gauge, zinc-plated steel, and through the use of heavy-gauge, zinc-plated steel corner angles, the structure has exceptional strength, and a long, maintenance-free life is also assured. In `addition to its 'structural attributes, a carport according to the invention has attractive appearance, as well as an over-all design which enables it to blendin with practically all styles of architecture.

Thus, vCarports constructed and arranged according to the invention are believed to satisfy the objectives therefor as outiined above. However, as many changes could be made in carrying out such constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

We ciaim:

l. A roof lstructure for `use as a carport and the like comprising, in combination, a rectangular roof frame including spaced front and rear fasciae of G-section whereby each fascia has the form of a closed top channel dened in part by spaced inner and outer walls and Vhaving a side opening, said fasciae being disposed in mutually facing relation whereby the channel side-openings face one another, the corresponding outer walls of the fascia channels having-substantially equal height and the inner wall of the rear fascia channel having Vvlesser height than the inner wall of the front fascia channel, yroof sheets extending between said front and .rear fasciae with their opposite ends extending into the channels thereof and being supported at said opposite ends on the respective inner walls of the fascia channels whereby said roof sheets are sloped rearwardly-downwardly and drain into the channel of the rear fascia, and lsupporting columns aixed to said roof frame and supporting same at a xed level above the ground.

2. A roof structure as set forth in claim l, wherein said inner walls of the front and rear fasciae are each provided along its top edge with a horizontal sheet-supporting ange which extends into the channel and terminates short of its companion outer wall, and means attaching the ends of the sheets to said anges.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNlTED STATES PATENTS 2,618,820 Struben et al Nov. 25, 1952 2,692,033 Jaynes Oct. 19, 1954 2,741,811 Malone Apr. 17, 1956 FOREGN PATENTS 159,465 Austria Sept. 10, 1940 1,058,121 France Nov. 4, 1953 

